Am playing around with Cachemate and how it works with a Mac. Paid the $7 for the full version. On the Palm, I have a choice to sort by Name or Waypoint. Both lists are sorted and identified by the cache names (titles).
Does CacheMate allow the GC cache numbers to be visible as a list? Am trying to see if it will match up to the list on my Garmin, for easier cross-reference between the two.

I don't have Cachemate so can't answer p.b's question, but am also interested in learning more.

Being new to paperless caching I've been frustrated by having to scribble notes about my finds on a piece of paper or onto the notepad function of my PDA. What exactly does Cachemate do and does it interface with the info already input using Plucker? For instance, if I just found cache GCabcd, can I link from the cache page on my PDA to the appropriate place in Cachemate or do I have to open Cachemate and write "GCabcd" to initiate the next step??

perspiring minds want to know.

~erik~

I haven't taken time to get CacheMate either. It is on my Todo list, just haven't had time. But as I understand the idea is to use it instead of plucker not with plucker. You run a conversion program on PC/Mac which convert the GPX into true Palm database. You load the database into your palm and then use CacheMate to show you all the information about the caches. It will not look like a webpage. However his website http://www.smittyware.com/palm/cachemate/ doesn't seem to have sample screens so I don't know what they look like. But when displaying the cache information you are suppose to be able to make notes. As I see it, its main advantage is that since it has the cache information in a database you can have it do various sorts at anytime. It also will use GPS if it is connected the Palm, so you can use it to find the cache without ever putting the waypoint into the GPS.

If I try it and like it, I would try to get my remailer to run the conversion so that when the email arrived it would be ready to load into the plam.

Oh Phat.bak I think this is a link to the answer of your question.

Hey Allen, When you og to the smittyware page that you linked to, the slide show in the upper right area shows the real screen shots of the program

PB, the answer to your question is, "Yes."

I have used CacheMate for about six months and I love it. It is used as a stand alone program. Nothing else needed (except a PC and the Palm PDA).

You can sort a GPX file in CacheMate on the PC on any of the columns -- cache ID ("GC" number), name, difficulty, etc. Also, you can sort the cache pages on the PDA by either name or GC number. I can sort my Garmin GPSMap 76S file using Find/Points/Waypoints/Find by Name. That list can be visually compared to the one in CacheMate on the PDA.

You can also do some very sophisticated (yes, Erik, first definition) sorts on the PDA in CacheMate, like sorting nearest ones in only the northeast direction, etc.

Also, you can write your log on the cache page in the PDA using CacheMate. There is a menu tab that is "Log" and allows input for date/time of start and/or stop, TB's taken or dropped, what you took an left, etc. That cache can then be filed in a "found" category so it doesn't clutter your searches, and is available as a list of caches you found since last logging them.

There are some people, including IQue users, that have gotten to the point of being able to upload the log to GC.com. I don't know how to do that, but I am sure Allen could figure out how in a couple minutes.

And, oh yeah! CacheMate is blinding fast. And cheeeep!

Sorry for the long post.

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Originally posted by ~erik~:
What exactly does Cachemate do and does it interface with the info already input using Plucker?

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Allen is right in that CaheMate is another program to use instead of Plucker. I just got it, but it has features that Plucker does not. You can mark a cache as 'Found' and then retrieve just those later back at the house, so you don't have to keep a record of which caches you did. You can also log your cache in the Log section for later retrieval. The reason I got it was for the 'closest caches' feature (and it's Mac compatible). Plucker does this also, but CacheMate lets you find the closest caches in a slectable direction only. For instance if you were heading back home and just wanted to see the nearest caches that are due North and Northeast, but not South, it will do that. Cool.
Thanks for the link, Allen. It gave me the info I needed and it DOES list caches by GC# that matches the GPS. It also has the option to show Cache Type and always has the cache name (truncated) included.
It's worth a look. I'm going to give it a try.
ga cacher's got good eyes. The sliding screens on the CacheMate page are actual screens of the program. It just doesn't show you ALL of them.
Erik - if you are at the CITO, I'll show you what it looks like on the m130.

Edited: Great info TMan. Looks like we were typing at the same time. Seems like the Mac desktop poertion is not a sophisticated as the PC version, tho.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: phat.bak,

PB: In ham radio (sorry) we call that "doubling."

Sorry....

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Originally posted by Trailerman:
PB: In ham radio (sorry) we call that "doubling."

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In CB lingo, we called it 'jumping on top of each other'.
3's & 8's to ya.
XXX - on the side.

Trailerman, your a ham operator?

I ment to answer this earlier today but got tied up with work stuff. Trailerman pretty much covered it. I've already gotten my $7 out of it and then some. The categories (which are editable) are really cool (Found/Not Found/et al), and "find closest" is awesome. I tried plucker, and promptly deleted it within 3 days of using Cachemate.

As many of us use it (ScottJ included - Hi Scott! - he introduced me to it), I'd be glad to demonstrate it to anyone either at CITO or any GGA meeting or anytime I bump into someone.

Even on my borrowed Palm 705, it's pretty fast in action - EXCEPT for doing the database merge when a new PQ is received and the palm DB is updated; THAT can take awhile, especially if you send several queries in sequence. S.L.O.W. A good 5 minutes at least. Can't do anything about it though.

All in all - try it, and you'll find yourself paying the $7. Don't see much wizardry Allen can pull off, as the PC/Mac based portion of the program pretty much does everything for you, including putting it in the hotsync queue.

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Originally posted by Amazingracer:
Trailerman, your a ham operator?

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QRZ? de WB4WMG...

As I'm not a user of CacheMate (PC- or Palm-based) I could be totally off base with the following...

GSAK (FREE!!) has an export option to a CacheMate PDB file. I use GSAK now to sort all my data and plan out trips. Then I export my filtered data to a MapSource file and HTML files for Plucking. If the database merges are really slow that Cymbaline mentions and what not, you could use GSAK and export the filtered data to its own database.

Also, with being able to generate your own Cachemate database files would this negate the need of paying the $7 (even though the $7 isn't much compared to all the functionality that people say they are receiving in return)? If in my brief reading of the CacheMate webpage was correct the only benefit of being a registered user is being able to import the LOC and GPX files.

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If in my brief reading of the CacheMate webpage was correct the only benefit of being a registered user is being able to import the LOC and GPX files.

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That, and the fact that only registered users can have more than ten caches in the database. When I demo'd it - that was the limit.

I use CacheMate in conjuction with GSAK. CacheMate will export waypoints to your GPS, sort by distance, direction or both. It also has a companion called CacheNav that is for navigation on the PDA. If you mark a cache "Found" you can also date and time stamp it, when you start and finish a cache.

And yes, I am convinced Phat.Bak is a "ham" operator...

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Originally posted by Snake1411:
As I'm not a user of CacheMate (PC- or Palm-based) I could be totally off base with the following...

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Naw, you're not.

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GSAK (FREE!!) has an export option to a CacheMate PDB file. I use GSAK now to sort all my data and plan out trips. Then I export my filtered data to a MapSource file and HTML files for Plucking. If the database merges are really slow that Cymbaline mentions and what not, you could use GSAK and export the filtered data to its own database.

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On a daily basis I use EasyGPS, CacheMate, and Clayjar's Watcher. I tried GSAK, and do use it occasionaly, but I don't care for it's *usability* - so to speak. GSAK is great for dishing out different formats, but it has it's weaknesses. That's another conversation.

As far as the CacheMate db import - it's done in no time. What I was referring to is the importing of "update" GPX files, as it were. That can take up to 5 minutes - my GPX PQ consists of 400 caches within a 35 mile radius. Updating the past 5 logs (gc.com limit - cachemate is ready for 10) and merging the database DOES take a while. I'm not complaining about Cachemate itself - i'm running an older Palm unit with a slower processor. Just takes time.
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Also, with being able to generate your own Cachemate database files would this negate the need of paying the $7 (even though the $7 isn't much compared to all the functionality that people say they are receiving in return)?

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No, it wouldn't. Unless you register Cachemate, you only can import 10 caches (as has been said previously).

My input: For $7 it's the best thing ever. Since I'm registered, I now feel safe to say that I'd gladly pay $50 for this thing - that's the only way I can put it.

Sounds like I need to get this application.

I look forward to seeing it at the CITO event!

~erik~

On a related topic, I am using Cachemate and a Garmin (sorry Sledgehampster) Etrex Vista, would it serve me at all to be able to link the two together out on the road. More to the point would I be able to do anything new like list all close waypoints on the pda because it is getting coords from the GPS? I was debating getting a gender changer and carrying both cables with me out on the road and plugging them into each other, but if it will profit me not, why would I. Thanks again.

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Originally posted by Fabasard:
On a related topic, I am using Cachemate and a Garmin (sorry Sledgehampster) Etrex Vista, would it serve me at all to be able to link the two together out on the road. More to the point would I be able to do anything new like list all close waypoints on the pda because it is getting coords from the GPS? I was debating getting a gender changer and carrying both cables with me out on the road and plugging them into each other, but if it will profit me not, why would I. Thanks again.

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GOOD Question! Although I can't answer it, I was thinking along the same line as you. I have found a cable on EBay that links the 2 together, but I don't know if it would be worth the $30. Seems like we would need somekind of mapping/navigation program on the Palm to make it worthwhile.
I'll sit back and watch for answers.

Phat.bak, why pay the 30.00, simply take the cables you use to link to your computer for both of them and get a gender changer from microcenter, at around 5.00. That was my intent, but I will await to see if there is a use for it.

Hmmm ...
The only connection I have for my pda-to-Mac is the USB doc/cradle. I connect my Vista with the supplied serial cable plugged into a serial/USB connector.
To utilize a gender changer, it seems like I would still need a cable for the pda?